The Free Press, Cambridge

Ah, if only all Greene King tied houses had this level of guest ales. Another fine visit to The Free Press and very good to see a Leeds Brewery beer this far south. It had just gone, but the barman offered to change the barrel if I was prepared to wait, which I was. This gave me the opportunity to engage in conversation with some of the locals who were vertical drinking in the front bar. I had followed a push chair into the pub and normally frown on this, but as the small child had been pushed in by her grandad, who was clearly a regular, I went with the flow. Especially when it was spotted that grandad and granddaughter were wearing matching green farming jackets and after some ribbing this ex-farmer came clean on what they cost, prompting a conversation on perhaps Jeremy Clarkson was pulling the wool to how much farmers earn. Anyway back to the beer. Very good guest line up as detailed below and my Leeds Pale was spot on. No need to modify my historical rating.

The Free Press is a J-shaped pub with wood paneled bar area to the left where the serving counter faces standing room and a log fireplace to the left. At the rear is a snug which seemed to generate much interest, especially as it’s claimed that an unbelievable amount of people had crammed themselves into this small space. The right-hand side of the pub is used for seating that is served by a hatch on the back bar. Out the back is covered decking and a beer shelf that leads to a paved area with café tables and a summerhouse that was closed. The seven hand pumps were drawing Rudgate’s Ruby, Bass, Leeds Pale, GK Abbot and IPA, Twickenham Ales Spring Ale and TT Landlord. I went for the Bass which was well served by the polite barman. I liked it in here and would stop off again if passing.

Official site of The Free Press - www.instagram.com

Late Georgian in origin with lovely exterior door and window casings, this is a very foodie pub with much history, such as the remains of Cambridge’s doomed 1984 boat and pumps which date from the 1940s; it’s noted for its ‘microsnug’ mentioned below. I had a half of Twickenham’s Spring Ale which was nice enough but nothing special, unlike the pub.

Official site of The Free Press - www.instagram.com

An excellent backstreet pub with a good selection of beers. The layout is one room either side of the central servery, with a lovely little snug at the end which several of us wedged into (but nowhere near the claimed record of 59!). The beer range was a couple from GK plus 5 guest ales.

It was quite busy in here soon after leaving the Elm Tree, which had been quiet. It's probably just a matter of timing, but the crowd in this pub seemed a lot younger than the other, and it could be they're attracted by the food offering. My photo of the beer blackboard shows seven beers, mostly well known brands, but my notes made at the time say only four beers were on. Could I have missed some more hand pumps among the crowd? Anyway, I went for Tom Cat from Norwich's Fat Cat brewery, which was in very good condition (NBSS 3.5). On the wall, a series of photos in a frame showed how this used to be a corner pub on a terrace of cottages but is now a stand-alone double-cottage, having extended into the next door house. The glazed extension on the front of the pub has been there since before the rest of the row was demolished and new housing built. Some might find the beer offering here a bit humdrum, but I enjoyed being here even though it was a bit busier than I am comfortable with. Date of visit: 28th February 2024

Official site of The Free Press - www.freepresscambridge.com

Official site of The Free Press - www.freepresscambridge.com

Facebook page of The Free Press - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of The Free Press - www.facebook.com